I used to watch her from my kitchen window, she seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during recess. A sea of children, and yet to me, she stood out from them all.

　　我以前常常从我家厨房的窗户看到她，她强行挤过操场上的一群男孩子，对这些男孩们来说，她显得那么矮小。学校在我家的街对面，我经常看到孩子们在下课时间打球。尽管有一大群的孩子，但我觉得她是最吸引我注意的一个。

　　I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into thenet. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could.

　　我记得第一次看到她打篮球的情景。看见她绕着其他孩子旁边游走的时候，我感到十分惊奇。她设法跳起投篮，球恰好越过那些孩子的头顶飞入篮筐。那些男孩总是拼命地阻止她，但没有人可以做得到。

　　I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone. She would practice dribbling and shooting over and over again, sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. She looked directly in my eyes and without a moment of hesitation she said,"I want to go to college. The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship. I like basketball. I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count." Then she smiled and ran towards the court to recap the routine I had seen over and over again.

　　另外一些时候，她一个人练球，我开始注意观察她的举动。她一般是一遍遍地练习运球和投篮，有时直到天黑。有一天，我问她为什么这么刻苦地练习。她直视着我的眼睛，不假思索地说:“ 我想上大学。只有获得奖学金我才能有钱去上大学。因为我喜欢打篮球，所以我决定了，只要我成为一个出色的球员，我就能获得奖学金。我将能够到大学去打篮球。我想成为最棒的球员。我父亲告诉我说，如果梦想远大，就一定可以克服艰难险阻。”说完她笑了笑，跑向篮球场，又开始我之前见过的一遍又一遍的练习。

　　Well, I had to give it to her--- she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her varsity team to victory.

　　嘿，我真服了她――她是个有决心的人。我看着她这些年从初中升到高中。每个星期，由她带领的学校篮球队都能够获胜。